Key holder



N. LEOPOLDI Sept. 1, 1964 KEY HOLDER Filed May 51, 1961 United StatesPatent 3,146,615 KEY HOLDER Norbert Leopoldi, 4180 Marine Drive,Chicago, Ill. Filed May 31, 1961, Ser. No. 113,863 1 Claim. (Cl. 70-459)My invention relates to a holder for keys and the like, and moreparticularly, to a simplified holder for a plurality of keys thatpermits keys to be easily applied and removed, but which securelyretains the keys thereon and permits ready use of them when needed.

Conventional key rings or holders generally permit one to readily usethe keys applied thereto when needed, but frequently they are soarranged that it is difficult to secure keys thereto or remove keystherefrom. In most devices of this type, substantial pressure must beapplied to either the key holder or the key to put the key on in placeon the holder or remove a key therefrom. This not infrequently resultsin broken finger nails, bruised fingers and hands, and generalirritation and inconvenience to the user.

The principal object of this invention is to provide not only asimplified key holder comprising a minimum of parts which securely holdskeys that have been applied thereto, and which may be disassembled witha minimum of effort for removing keys therefrom or applying keysthereto, but also to provide a key holder arrangement of this type whichemploys a novel spinner device for effectively displaying advertisingindicia.

A further object of the invention is to provide a key holder having ageneral configuration that lends itself to being easily grasped by theuser.

Other objects, uses and advantages will be obvious or become apparentafter a perusal of the following specification and the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention,showing a key applied thereto;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded diagrammatic perspective view of the device ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1, but illustrating amodification of the invention, parts being broken away; and

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating still anotherembodiment of the invention, with the showing being similar to that ofFIGURE 2.

Reference numeral of FIGURES 1 and 2 generally indicates one form of theinvention which comprises an elongate key receiving element 12 and akeeper device 14 which secures one or more keys 16 on the key receivingelement 12.

As made clearly evident by FIGURE 2, the key receiving element 12comprises a length of resilient wire 17 formed to position its ends 18adjacent each other with the tips 20 thereof diverging somewhat fromeach other.

Generally speaking, the ends 18 of the element 12 are disposedsubstantially parallel to each other, and after the key 16 is applied tothe element 12, the keeper device 14 is pressed between the ends 18 todispose the ends 18 in the pockets 21 that are formed on opposite sidesof the device 14. The device 14 is formed and proportioned so that theends 18 of device 12 will be pressed apart somewhat as the device 14 ispressed within and between ends 13, so that the tips 20 will tend tosnap into recesses 23 that are formed in the bottoms of the respectivepockets 21.

As is also brought out by FIGURES 1 and 2, the key receiving element 12is formed with inclined portions 26 against which the thumb andforefinger of ones hand may be applied to hold the element 12 againstthe compressive forces occasioned by pressing the device 14 between theends 18.

3,146,515 Patented Sept. 1, 1964 In addition, the ends 18 each areformed to define curved segments 27 that substantially conform to thebottoms of the respective pockets 21. The curved portions 27 merge intoand help define the indentations generally indicated at 29, whichtogether with the inclined portions 26 and the rounded end portion 31define a handle for the element 12.

The keeper device 14 generally comprises a rounded frame member 40 ofgenerally quadrilateral transverse cross-sectional configuration whichis substantially C- shaped in configuration and terminates insubstantially parallel end portions 42. The frame member 40 is formedwith guide or side flanges 44 along the sides of each end thereof thatrespectively merge into the respective end flanges 46, with theseflanges 44 and 46 defining the respective pockets 21. The convexlyrounded peripheral exterior surface 48 of the member 40 is continuousbetween the end flanges 46 and forms the bottoms of the respectivepockets 21, with the surface 48 being suitably indented as at 23 todefine outwardly opening recesses for the tips 20 of element 12.

As clearly brought out in FIGURE 1, the tips 20 define protuberances 50that are directed towards each other, and are proportioned to bereceived in the respective pocket recesses 23.

Journalled between the ends 42 of the member 40 is a novel advertisingspinner element, one embodiment of which is diagrammatically illustratedat 52. In the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2, the element 52 comprises adisc-like member 54 provided with pins 56 that are positioned atdiametrically opposite points about the exterior periphery 58 of themember 54, and that are respectively lodged in suitable openings 60formed at diametrically opposed points in the member 40. Pins 56 may beapplied by making them in tapered form and press fitting them intoelement 52 through openings 60.

The member 40 and the spinner member 52 have curvatures whichsubstantially complement each other, and the fit between the pins 56 andthe holes 60 should be such that the member 54 may be freely rotated.Member 54 is provided with disc-like surfaces 62 on which advertisingindicia of any suitable type may be disposed in any suitable manner.

The utility and manner of using the device 10 will now be obvious fromwhat has been said. The element 12 when assembled with the device 14will be arranged substantially as shown in FIGURE 1, and these twoelements may be separated by applying ones forefinger into the bite thatis defined by the handle portion 31 of element 12, grasping the device14 with the other hand (which by its shape forms a handle that isreadily grasped by the other hand), and pulling on the element 12 toposition these elements somewhat as shown in FIGURE 2, in whichcondition of element 12 keys 16 may be applied and removed with respectto the element 12.

When the element 12 is assembled on the device 14, the element 12 servesas a handle for holding the device 14 when it is desired to spin theadvertising spinner member 52. This may be done by merely flickingmember 52 with ones finger.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 3, the spinner member 52a is substantiallythe same as member 52, but instead of being journalled within themodified member 40a by a pair of diametrically opposed pins 56, themember 52a is journalled within member 46a by a single pin 70 which isformed with a reduced portion 72 that is received in opening 74 ofmember 4011; the pin 70 includes a headed portion 76 that may be formedafter pin 70 is received in opening 74 by peening over the outwardlyprojecting pin end.

It will therefore be seen that the spin member 52a of FIGURE 3 ismounted for rotation about an axis which extends substantially parallelto the ends 42a of the frame member 40a. The remainder of the member 40aand element 12 are essentially the same as the corresponding elements 12and 40 of FIGURES 1 and 2.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 4, the frame member 41) and the element 12are identical to the corresponding elements 40 and 12 of the embodimentof FIGURE 1. However, the spinner member 52b takes the form of aspherical element 541') that has pins 56 applied to diametricallyopposed points on the element 54b for reception in holes 60 of member41). The element 54b is preferably made from a transparent plastic orglass material and has embedded therein suitable advertising indicia orthe like. In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, theelement 54b is freely rotated by flicking it with ones finger asdescribed in connection with the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Alternately, the spinner member 54b of FIGURE 4 may be journalled withinframe member 41) by employing the modification of FIGURE 3.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided an extremely simplifiedform of key holder which is not only easy to operate, convenient tohandle, and inexpensive to make, but which also provides a novel andattractive advertising implement.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explainand illustrate my invention and the invention is not to be limitedthereto, except insofar as the appended claim is so limited, since thoseskilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able tomake modifications and variations therein without departing from thescope of the invention' I claim:

A keyholder comprising an elongated resilient key receiving Wire memberformed to define a plannar open loop having a closed end and an openend, with the end portions of said member being positioned adjacent tobut spaced from each other to form said loop open end, said loop beingformed by symmetrically formed halves of said member that are joinedtogether at the closed end of said loop, said halves being indentedtoward each other intermediate the loop ends, with the portions of saidhalves extending between the indented portions thereof and said 100pclosed end respectively defining substantially rectilinear segments insaid wire member that converge in the direction of said loop closed end,and with the portions of said halves extending between said indentedportions and said loop open end defining curved segments in said wiremember that are arched away from each other and that have the portionsthereof that oppose each other concavely shaped longitudinally of saidwire member, with said curved segments respectively merging into saidwire member end portions, said wire member end portions being formed todefine protuberances that project toward each other and terminate intips that diverge from each other, and a keeper device cooperable withsaid resilient member curved segments and end portions for retainingkeys on said key receiving member, said keeper device comprising a framemember having a substantially quadrilateral cross-sectionalconfiguration and formed to define a substantially C-shapedconfiguration in which the opposing side surfaces of said frame membershave a convex-concave relation wherein the convex surface is theoutwardly facing peripheral surface of said C-shaped configuration, andthe concave surface is the inner surface thereof, said frame memberhaving its end portions extending substantially parallel to each other,said frame member end portions each being formed to define a pair ofsubstantially parallel outwardly projecting side flanges and an endflange extending cross-wise of and connected to the respective sideflanges adjacent the tips of said frame member, said peripheral surfaceof said frame member, said side flanges, and said end flanges definingpockets adjacent said frame member end portions for receiving therespective protuberances of said key receiving member, said side flangesrespectively merging into said peripheral surface at points along saidframe member on either side of the midportion thereof, said peripheralsurface adjacent the respective end flanges being indented to defineoutwardly opening recesses in said peripheral surface for receiving saidkey receiving member protuberances, whereby, said key receiving membermay be applied to said keeper device by pressing said convex peripheralsurface against said key receiving member protuberances to separate andcam the latter into said pocket and into engagement with the respectiveend flanges, whereupon said protuberances seek said convex surfacepockets to latch said keeper device between said key receiving memberend portions, said rectilinear segments of said key receiving memberserving as finger bracing portions for pressing said key receivingmember against said keeper device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS250,426 Coombe Dec. 6, 1881 1,456,093 Carlson May 22, 1923 1,478,896Ferency Dec. 25, 1923 1,593,254 Gnthe July 20, 1926 3,045,469 Rentscheret al. July 24, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 251,472 Switzerland Aug. 2, 1949

